RENSSELAERVILLE — The year 2005 saw a few moments of bitter division in Rensselaerville.

In August, River Valley Radio, of Westerlo, applied to the Rensselaerville Planning Board for a special-use permit to build a 150- to 180-foot radio tower on Ted E. Bear Hill, off of Route 353.

Among other things, River Valley owner Tom Diederich claimed the tower would improve communications for firefighters and police in the southwest corner of Albany County, and would have space for cellular companies or other broadcasters to move in. The Albany County Sheriff’s Department planned on using a grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security to install equipment on the tower, improving emergency broadcasting county-wide.

Some residents strongly opposed the plan, saying it would ruin a scenic view, irrevocably changing the town’s landscape. A crane was put in the spot, to give people an idea of what the tower would look like.
"When I saw the crane, it broke my heart," said resident Jeanette Rice at a heated public hearing. "That’s one of the most outstanding vistas in Albany County."

Speaking in support of the tower, volunteer fireman Ed Pizzagati said the lives the tower could save are more important than the view.
"You’re worried about material things. How about being worried about saving someone’s life"" Pizzagati asked, over loud retorts from the audience. "If it saves a life, it’s worth it. I’d sleep under it if I could...I guarantee you, a year from now, you won’t even notice it’s there."

The application to build the tower was denied by the planning board.

FOIL lawsuit
In September, Rensselaerville resident Vernon Husek filed an Article 78 lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court. In the lawsuit, Husek contends that Highway Superintendent G. Jon Chase "has public records in his possession that are the subject of two [Freedom Of Information Law] requests that have been willfully concealed from both public inspection and the town records management officer Kathleen A. Hallenbeck."

The lawsuit also accuses Chase’s son, Councilman Gary Chase, of threatening Husek.

Husek requested all town records pertaining to any equipment leased after Jan. 1, 2000 and anything prepared by the town’s engineering firm after Jan. 1, 2000. Husek was looking for information on a project on Arnold Road, which touches Gary Chase’s property. He accused Councilman Chase of yelling at him when he went to Arnold Road to investigate.

Gary Chase told The Enterprise he only spoke to Husek that morning because he was on his property taking pictures. Chase said his children were in the house.
"I told him I didn’t want him on my property," Gary Chase said. "He was crawling through the woods."

Gary Chase didn’t comment on the matter. Husek accused him of hoarding files in his locked office.
"My concern is we have a highway superintendent who is refusing to answer questions about an expenditure of money...At some point, the town board has to take responsibility for allowing this situation to exist," Husek said.

Election

In his first-ever race for public office, Jost Nickelsberg was elected supervisor of Rensselaerville in November. Nickelsberg, the chair of the Rensselaerville Republican Party, will take over for his fellow Republican, Supervisor J. Robert Lansing, who decided to run for town board instead of supervisor.

Nickelsberg campaigned on a platform of continuing Lansing’s legacy of fiscal responsibility.
"He was a master of the budget and paid lots of attention to that," Nickelsberg said.

Nickelsberg defeated the Democratic Party chairman, David Bryan, a former supervisor, 515 to 378.

Bryan said Nickelsberg will probably do a good job.
"He’s got the same sort of ideas I have," Bryan said. "Let’s see if he can do them."

The Republicans held on to their 3-to-2 majority on the Rensselaerville town board in the election.

Two seats were open. Lansing won the most votes, with 454, followed by Democrat Sherri Pine, with 441. Republican Timothy Becker received 423 votes and incumbent Democrat Edward Steven Ryder lost his reelection bid with 396 votes.

This will be Pine’s first public office.
"I’m glad I won," Pine said. "I really want to help the town."

For highway superintendent, Democrat Jon Chase edged Republican challenger Stephen Wood, 470 to 458 in the unofficial results.

Problems at Cass

An escape of two juveniles from the Cass Residential in September reawakened fear in the town. The juveniles were quickly returned to the center by the State Police.

The Cass Residential Center, known by some locals as Camp Cass, is located outside of the hamlet of Rensselaerville on Camp Cass Drive, off of Route 353. It’s the home of 25 male delinquents, between the ages of 14 and 18.

September’s escape came less than a year after an escape last December in which a resident, Michael Elston, 16, of Buffalo, raped a 51-year-old employee and held her at knifepoint as they drove to Albany in her car. The victim was able to escape in Albany.
"There’s nobody even to warn you," said Adele Claypool, a long-time resident and close friend of Elston’s victim. "We’re basically in the woods here. They shouldn’t even be there. Obviously, they haven’t ever done a darn thing."

Rensselaerville’s supervisor is also worried.
"I’m concerned about the whole episode," Lansing said at the time.

A spokesman for the state Office of Children and Family Services refused to comment on how security is handled at the center or the qualifications of the guards.
"We constantly work to provide a safe and secure environment," said Brian Marchetti.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares has assigned an assistant district attorney to investigate allegations against the camp, said Soares’s spokesman, Richard Arthur. These allegations emerged during the prosecution of Elston, who received a 27-year prison sentence, one year short of the maximum, Arthur said. He would not comment on the allegations themselves.

ITAD dissolves

In June, Impulse Theatre and Dance, the Hilltowns’ only professional theater company, told The Enterprise it was calling it quits after a quarter of a century.
"We had a good run," said Richard Creamer, who started the company in 1983 in New York City with his wife, Nadia.

Creamer said the decision to close was driven by health concerns and the desire to spend time on other projects.

The Creamers brought ITAD with them when they moved to Rensselaerville from New York 14 years ago. Their company has produced plays, musicals, and dance shows, drawing performers from New York as well as the Capital Region. The group has been recognized several times, including by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Often, the company focused on lesser-known plays and performed with minimal set design, drawing attention to both the acting and the writing. It most recently found a home in Rensselaerville’s historic Conkling Hall.
"It was really a great experience for everybody," Creamer said.